Newton Horace Winchell
Encyclopedia
Newton Horace Winchell was the extremely prolific Minnesota
geologist
responsible for the six-volume The Geology of Minnesota: Final Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota, which is the work of Winchell and his assistants. A bibliography of his publications by Warren Upham in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America (volume 26, pp. 27–46) contains almost 300 titles.
Born in New York State
, Winchell attended public school in Connecticut
and then taught school in Connecticut and Michigan
. While teaching in Michigan he graduated from the University of Michigan
and received a Master of Arts degree in 1867. He then did geological studies in Michigan, Ohio
, and New Mexico
.
Winchell settled in Minnesota in 1872 when he was appointed to direct "The Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota". At the same time he taught courses in geology
, botany
, and zoology
at the University of Minnesota
. He had a reputation for "great diligence and honesty" (Merrill, 1964) and was considered "an honest, very competent geologist" (Thrapp, 1990).
When he accompanied the Custer expedition
to the Black Hills
of South Dakota
in 1874, Winchell prepared the first geological map of that area. Winchell was also one of the founders of the Geological Society of America
, a chief organizer of the Minnesota Academy of Sciences, and president of several societies.
The Minnesota Historical Society, led by Minnesota State Geologist Winchell, investigated the Kensington Runestone
in 1909-1910. They were most interested in the physical aspects of the stone and the location of the find.
Winchell made three trips to Kensington
, examining the find site, the similar glacier
-carried boulders in the area, and interviewing Olaf Ohman (the finder of the stone), his neighbors, and townspeople. Professor Winchell recorded his observations, sketch maps, and interviews in a pocket field notebook. He wrote in his notebook: "I had a long talk with Mr. Ohman, and am impressed with the evident candor and truthfulness of all his statements".
Winchell's geological examination of the Kensington Runestone has been adduced to suggest that the runestone is authentic.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
responsible for the six-volume The Geology of Minnesota: Final Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota, which is the work of Winchell and his assistants. A bibliography of his publications by Warren Upham in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America (volume 26, pp. 27–46) contains almost 300 titles.
Born in New York State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Winchell attended public school in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and then taught school in Connecticut and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. While teaching in Michigan he graduated from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and received a Master of Arts degree in 1867. He then did geological studies in Michigan, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Winchell settled in Minnesota in 1872 when he was appointed to direct "The Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota". At the same time he taught courses in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, and zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. He had a reputation for "great diligence and honesty" (Merrill, 1964) and was considered "an honest, very competent geologist" (Thrapp, 1990).
When he accompanied the Custer expedition
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
to the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
in 1874, Winchell prepared the first geological map of that area. Winchell was also one of the founders of the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose...
, a chief organizer of the Minnesota Academy of Sciences, and president of several societies.
The Minnesota Historical Society, led by Minnesota State Geologist Winchell, investigated the Kensington Runestone
Kensington Runestone
The Kensington Runestone is a 200-pound slab of greywacke covered in runes on its face and side which, if genuine, would suggest that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of North America in the 14th century. It was found in 1898 in the largely rural township of Solem, Douglas County,...
in 1909-1910. They were most interested in the physical aspects of the stone and the location of the find.
Winchell made three trips to Kensington
Kensington, Minnesota
Kensington is a city in Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 292 at the 2010 census. The city is notable in Minnesota history for being the place where the famous, if questionable, Kensington Runestone was first displayed. The stone tablet may indicate that Scandinavians...
, examining the find site, the similar glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
-carried boulders in the area, and interviewing Olaf Ohman (the finder of the stone), his neighbors, and townspeople. Professor Winchell recorded his observations, sketch maps, and interviews in a pocket field notebook. He wrote in his notebook: "I had a long talk with Mr. Ohman, and am impressed with the evident candor and truthfulness of all his statements".
Winchell's geological examination of the Kensington Runestone has been adduced to suggest that the runestone is authentic.